Assessment of Urban Ecosystem Services Delivery by Small Public Urban Green Spaces: Comparisons between Urban Contexts in Brazil and Mexico

• Grant number: 25/12027-8
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: July 30, 2025
• End date: August 29, 2025
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Ecology - Ecosystems Ecology
• Principal Investigator: João Carlos de Castro Pena
• Grantee: Tomás Gabriel Canelada Jovchelevich
• Supervisor: Fredy Alexander Alvarado Roberto
• Host Institution: Centro de Estudos Ambientais (CEA). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Rio Claro. Rio Claro , SP, Brazil
• Institution abroad: Instituto Potosino De Investigación Científica Y Tecnológica, Mexico
• Associated to the scholarship: 24/23888-1 - How do Nature-based Solutions influence urban ecosystem integrity? Monitoring and assessing urban ecosystem services delivery on a university campus and across a medium-sized tropical city, BP.IC

Abstract

This project proposes a one-month research internship at the Institute for Scientific and Technological Research of San Luis Potosí (IPICYT), in Mexico, under the supervision of Dr. Fredy Alvarado. The objective is to complement the ongoing Scientific Initiation project funded by FAPESP, developed at UNESP in Rio Claro under the supervision of Prof. Dr. João Carlos de Castro Pena. The main project investigates the effects of implementing Nature-Based Solutions (NbS) on the delivery of Urban Ecosystem Services (UES) in medium-sized cities. During the internship, UES assessment methodologies will be applied in small public urban green spaces (SPUGS) of San Luis Potosí, including the Tea Bag Index (organic matter decomposition), soil water infiltration rates, air quality monitoring using dataloggers, and the Green View Index (GVI). The goal is to generate comparative data with that collected in Rio Claro, Brazil, relating UES delivery to the distinct environmental characteristics of the two territories. The experience will enhance the fellow's technical and methodological skills, broaden regional perspectives on NbS, and strengthen scientific integration between Latin American institutions.